Under the Moonlight ( Leo x Sakura )
by sakura.hime27
Summary: When he wakes up, he's injured, and has no memories. But at least she's always there to keep him company. (Leo x Sakura)
1. Chapter 1

**Synopsis:**

When he wakes up, he's injured, and he has no memories. But at least she's always there to keep him company. (Leo x Sakura)

—

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was her.

She was immersed in a thick book not much bigger than the size of her hand. Her eyebrows were cringed in focus and she was dressed in mostly white.

She was pretty; with a petite body and hair the color of hibiscus.

He could do nothing but stare, his head whirling in thoughts as he blinked repeatedly. Did he know this person?

His body felt heavy. So heavy that he didn't even bother trying to get up. The bed he lied on was inclined so he was somewhat sitting up, and a large pillow behind him supported his back.

The girl in front of him was engulfed in her book, and he didn't want to disturb her. But he couldn't just sit there and do nothing.

"Um.." he hesitated. She bounced up in surprise, her miniature book suddenly slipping from her hands and hitting the floor with a low thud. "Er.. Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

Her eyes were wide and lips slightly parted. "W-W-W-What! P-Prince Leo?! Y-You're awake!"

"Leo.." he repeated, almost in a whisper. "Is that my name?"

She felt herself shrinking at his intense gaze, and she looked down at the floor. "Y-You don't… remember?"

Leo sighed, lifting one hand to rest on the top of his head. "My head's killing me. I can't seem to remember anything except darkness. One minute all is black, and the next I'm suddenly here."

He looked around the small room, noticing the plain white walls surrounding one, tiny window where sunlight seeped through. The girl leaned down and picked up the small book she had dropped earlier.

"We suspected as much.." she murmured to herself, but much to her dismay, Leo had heard her loud and clear.

"Huh?" he hummed, watching as the hibiscus-haired girl blushed.

"N-Nothing!" she added quickly. "Just that.. A lot has happened. Y-You should probably get some rest."

"Somehow I'm not so tired," he sighed, pulling the sheets that covered him back just enough to see he was in a lavender gown. "How long have I been asleep?"

The girl timidly opened her book back to the page she had been reading from, struggling to hold her gaze with the prince.

"S-Six days."

He jolted forward. " _Six_ days!?—OW!" He carefully leaned back against the pillow, throwing his head back and letting out a grunt.

"Y-You should really take it easy for a while. Don't m-move around too much," the girl scolded him shyly.

"Wait—wait—I've got so many questions," Leo tried to ignore the pain rushing throughout his body. "You… You called me a prince earlier. Prince Leo, you said. Am I.. Am I really royalty?"

She nodded slowly. "You are Leo.. The second Prince of Nohr."

"Second…? Do I have an older brother?"

"Yes. Two." She dipped one hand on the page as if bookmarking it and closed the book. "And two sisters."

Leo blinked repeatedly, trying to wrap his head around the news. "T-Then.. What happened to me? Where are they? Where are _we?"_

"T-That's.. A long story.." she mumbled. "But you are currently in a fort on the Hoshidan shore, getting treated by some of our best healers."

"Huh..? Ho- _shee_ -dens?"

"It's a n-neighboring kingdom from the one you're from."

"Oh.."

He was still confused, but Leo's head hurt way too much to try to question her any longer.

The girl suddenly rose from the chair positioned in front of his bed. "At any rate, I have to g-go make sure the others know you've awoken. P-Pardon me." She bows quickly and picks up a small bag that rested near her chair. After sliding the strap over her shoulder, she bows again and rushes out the door.

Leo squinted at her departing figure before yawning.

"I wonder who that was.." he mumbled with eyes half closed. And it was at that moment that he realized he never asked her for her name.

—

The next morning, when he woke from his deep slumber, he saw a glimpse of a light hibiscus color. His eyes shot open and he found himself looking at her again, her focus dedicated entirely to that same miniature book she was reading the day before.

"Ah-!…" he gasped in realization, once again startling the poor girl. The book slipped from her hand and made contact cover-first with the floor.

"P-Prince Leo!" she screeched in shock, her face flushing red. "You're a-awake!"

He could feel his lips curving into a smile. "Morning."

"D-Did you rest well?" she stuttered, though he was already used to her cute, jittery way of speech.

He nodded in silence before staring straight into her chestnut-colored eyes. His scrutiny made her slightly uneasy, but she forced herself to wait for him to speak before tearing her gaze.

"Say," he began, "If I may ask… What is your name?"

"M-My name?"

He nods again.

"S-Sakura."

He looked up at the ceiling. "Sakura.." he whispered. "Sakura.. Sakura.." He paused for a moment before looking at her again. "That's a lovely name."

He's never seen her blush the deep shade of red that appeared on her cheeks after he had said that.

"Th-Thank you," she uttered before forcing herself to look back down at her book. The air was still, and neither of them said a word. After a long pause, Leo spoke up.

"What are you reading?"

Sakura slowly looked up, unable to meet his gaze. She severely hoped that her blush had died down.

"I-It's called, _Under The Moonlight_ by an old, Hoshidan w-writer," she chokes out the words, praying he wouldn't notice how intimidating he was to her. Not because he was scary, or a Nohrian prince, or any of the reasons most people usually stayed away from him. But because she wasn't used to having casual conversations with others—especially not with a boy foreign to Hoshido.

"I see.." he said, showing immense interest to what she had to say. Sakura didn't know much about the prince laying on the medical bed in front of her, but what she _did_ know was that he was a hopeless bookworm, unable to resist classic works of literature despite the places whence they came from.

"I-It's a collection of short stories and p-poems," she continued. "The writer was especially fond of fantasy settings and folklore."

"Huh.. Interesting.." Leo said softly, before Sakura closed the book and stood.

"Right.. W-Well, I guess since you've woken up, I ought to go call the healers."

"O-Okay.."

He wanted to ask her more questions, but decided to restrain himself, and instead watched as she left once again.

And he sat there, wondering if he'd see her again.

—

It didn't surprise him much when he opened his eyes the next day and she was in the same spot, in the same chair, reading the same book. Except this time, he felt relief. No matter how much he wanted to understand, or remember, or for things to be explained to him; seeing her every morning gave him a sense of reassurance. Each time she left, different healers showed up at different times of the day to treat him. So it was nice to see a reoccurring, familiar face to keep him company.

He didn't want to keep startling her each time he woke up, so this time, he spoke in a softer voice.

"Sakura.." he whispered. She suddenly looked up. She seemed significantly less startled than the last two days, and he was happy to see she didn't drop her book this time. "Reading _Under the Moonlight_ again?"

She slowly nodded. "It's a g-great book. It alternates between the stories a-and the poems."

He smiles at her. "Would it be wrong of me to ask you to read me a snippet?"

Sakura managed to control her emotions this time, but she was shaking internally. "M-Me? Read out loud?"

"Yes." Leo shifted on the bed. "I'm told not to leave from this spot, much less from this room, so it'd be a great entertainment."

Sakura swallowed nervously. "A-Alright. Um.. I just finished reading a poem.. Um.. I'll read it back to you."

She cleared her throat and read from the page, pausing slightly at every line break.

 _An oni came to_

 _my village_

 _the other day. He stole_

 _the bread that_

 _I was going to give to_

 _my_

 _hungry sister._

When Sakura looked at him, she found that his face was contorted in a look of confusion, and he was silent, as if trying to decipher what she had just read to him. After seconds of being lost in his thoughts, Leo sighed and shook his head.

"I don't get it.." he said. "What is an _oni?"_

"They're mythical creatures from Hoshido. I guess you could say they're basically demons," she answers. When she saw that he was still puzzled, she explained further. "A lot of these are random and probably don't make sense when you first read them. But that's the whole point. You might read it differently than I do, and that's okay."

Not quite getting it yet, Leo nods in agreement and leans his head against the headboard. The lack of words between them engulf them in a comfortable tranquility, and Sakura then closes the book, rising from the chair slowly.

"While you let that sink in, I'll g-go get the healers again," she notified him, and he instantly looks up.

"W-Wait!" She stopped in her tracks. "Will you… be back tomorrow?"

Sakura blinked, wondering if she was just imagining the slight blush that appeared on Leo's face.

"O-Of course.." she smiled warmly, looking at the golden haired prince for a second before an idea popped into her head. "In fact.. Would you like to borrow _Under the Moonlight_ until then?"

Leo's eyes sparkled in interest. "Could I..?"

"Yes," she bit her lip to hide her smile, and she handed the book, which appeared even smaller compared to his larger hands, over to him. She bowed and headed toward the door. "See you t-tomorrow then, Prince Leo."

He chuckled. "See you then."

—

Leo was pleased to find that Sakura kept her promises. After he was done with his treatment the day before, he spent the rest of his time reading through the miniature book, until he passed out from sleepiness late at night. When he woke up the next day, he found Sakura at her usual place, this time reading a much thinner, but bigger book about herbs.

"Good morning," she greeted him.

"Morning." He tried not to sound as happy as he was feeling. He would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to spending time with the hibiscus-haired girl, whom he couldn't remember if he knew before or not, before his memories failed him. "I found out what gave the book its name," he tells her in excitement.

"I-Is that so?" she smiled.

"Yes. There's a poem somewhere in the middle called _Under the Moonlight_."

"Indeed there is. It's the one poem most Hoshidans know, and what gave this book its fame. Did you get a chance to r-read it?"

"Of course I did," he laughed. "Mind if I read it to you?"

Sakura's eyes widen, feeling her heart strings being pulled at the kind way he had said that. "N-No.. Go a-ahead."

He flipped through the book and stopped at a certain page before reading out the words from the page.

 _It's only_

 _under the moonlight when_

 _I feel safest. If only_

 _you were here_

 _to keep me from breaking,_

 _when the moonlight_

 _is gone at night._

"Lovely.." Sakura whispered. "No matter how m-many times I hear it, I never get tired of this poem."

"I, too, fell in love with it," Leo admitted, not looking up from the page. Sakura leaned forward in her chair, resting her elbow on the arm chair.

"Do you.. have any idea what it means?" she asked, a sudden thrill rushing throughout her. Her brother Takumi was the only one she could go to when she wanted to discuss literature. But she hasn't seen him in a long time, and she couldn't explain how happy she felt to share something she loved with someone else. Especially with Prince Leo.

"Well, I understand why it'd be confusing in the end. I mean, it does mention that the moonlight is gone at night, which doesn't quite make sense," he ponders out loud.

Sakura lets out a small giggle under her breath before telling him her thoughts on the poem in detail. They went on for hours just talking about those two poems. Sakura thought the poem with the oni symbolized how unfair life can be to village people in poverty, while Leo had a theory that the oni were supposed to be evil people—like bandits, or thieves.

And while Sakura said themoonlight symbolized hope, Leo said it meant consciousness and sanity. However, they both came to a conclusion that the poem was about loss.

When night settled in, Sakura told the prince it was getting late, and that she should head back. He asked if he could keep borrowing _Under the Moonlight_ , and she said he could have it for as long as he wanted. That's when Leo remembered a question he's been meaning to ask her since that morning.

"Sakura," he called out, while she was picking her pouch up from the floor.

"Y-Yes, Prince Leo?"

"Are you also a healer?" he fingered the spine of the miniature book.

"Y-Yeah.." she breathed. "How did you know?"

"You were studying herbs this morning, weren't you?" he makes a gesture towards the bag that hung from her shoulder, referring to the book she had put back just a few minutes ago.

"Th-That's right."

"Then.. If you're a healer.. Why are you going out and calling others to look after me? Can't _you_ just take over my treatment?"

Sakura hesitated, calculating different ways she could answer his question. Her body tensed up and she stood from her chair. "I cannot."

He frowned. "Why not?"

Sakura sighed and tightened her grip on the strap, not knowing what to say. "I'm sorry," her hands shook as she walked toward the door.

"H-Hey—!"

"See you tomorrow, Prince Leo."

She gave him a smile and shut the door.

 **—**

 **Update (A/N):**

There was only going to be 2 chapters for this short fic, but I changed it to maybe 3. It'll explain more of why Leo needs medical treatment and what happened to his memories and all that jazz (and the significance of the poems).

Hope you guys are enjoying it so far, 'cause I sure love me some (underrated) Leo x Sakura!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

So I lied.. There won't be 2 chapters, there'll probably be 3.

—

Leo was horrified when he woke up the next day and the hibiscus-haired girl was missing from her usual spot on the chair in front of him. A drop of sweat ran down his forehead and he panicked, not ready to face the day when he'd wake up alone with no other choice than to wait for the healers.

She had told him the day before that she'd be back, that's for sure. So Leo couldn't help but worry. _Why wasn't she here? Did something happen to her?_

He forced himself to slip his leg to one side of the bed, attempting to stand up for the first time since his six days of being unconscious, and four days of undergoing treatment.

"A-Agh," he grunted, trying his best to ignore the pain. He wouldn't sit around any longer. He still needed to figure out why he was being looked after in a fort at a place called Ho-shee-doh, and he still had so many questions he wanted to ask.

His legs were wobbly and his balance was unstable, but he held on to the wall beside him and slowly made his way towards the only exit in the room. When he pulled the door open, he was faced with a long corridor that seemed as if it was built ages ago. Before he could continue exploring, he heard a footsteps coming from his right, and a voice shrieked.

"H-Hey now!" the voice said. "You really shouldn't be out here yet, Lord Leo!"

There it was again. He had been addressed with status. But if he was a Nohrian prince, what was he doing here in Ho-shee-doh?

The girl rushing toward him had pale pink hair, wore a maid uniform, and spoke in stutters that reminded him of Sakura. But there was a different style to her tone. A much clumsier one. He wanted to ask more questions, but was in a really bad mood. And for some reason, he refused to speak familiarly with this new girl in front of him. He wanted Sakura.

After the girl helped him settle back in bed, a healer came to check up on him. The sun had been out for a while now, and he bowed his head in melancholy and picked up _Under the Moonlight._ He flipped to a random page and began reading. The short story he read was about a little girl with a red hood, and a big bad wolf. He immersed himself into the miniature book, and didn't look up until the sunset seeped through the small window, and he heard the door creaking open.

At first, he thought it must've been another healer, who would bring him his daily meals and leave without a word.

But what he got was much better.

"Prince L-Leo?" her voice had hit home and he never felt more relief than he did at that moment.

"Sakura.." he said, lowering the book to his lap.

"S-Sorry I'm here so late," she bowed, and he noticed she was carrying a basket full of different types of fruit. She set the basket on the small table beside him and said, "I got this for y-you."

Leo leaned forward on his bed. "Listen, I—"

"I'm sure you have m-many questions, but… Before that, I brought a guest with me today."

"A guest?"

As if on cue, a taller and mature-looking man had stepped into the room. He exchanged glances with Sakura before his eyes met Leo's, and his mouth slowly gaped open.

"Leo.." he gasped. "I'm.. so glad to see you're okay."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "And who might _you_ be?"

The young man had a pained look on his face for a brief second before turning to Sakura.

"You sure weren't lying when you said he doesn't remember anyone," he said in a low voice. Leo waited impatiently before the man turned to face him again. "My name is Xander. I am the crown prince of Nohr."

Leo pauses. "Crown prince… Crown prince…" His eyes slowly widened. "Are you my brother?"

The older boy cracked a smile at his sibling. "Ah, glad to see you haven't lost your wits."

Leo returned the smile, feeling slight comfort to be in the company of family, even if he still couldn't remember them.

Sakura watched in silence as the two brothers interacted. She stood behind Xander, almost as if not wanting to stand out too much. After a while, she spoke up shyly.

"U-Um.. I'll leave you two to catch up. I'll go.. get some dinner."

Leo's attention instantly shifted towards her. "Wait—! S-Stay!"

He didn't quite know how to put what he felt into words. But right then he was desperate, and he couldn't care less if that's how he sounded.

Sakura's eyes widened at his words. She had planned to distance herself—to let him slowly remember his family as he ought to. But he.. wanted her to stay?

"Yes, Lady Sakura," Xander added. "You musn't be in any hurry."

Leo looked at his brother, his lips parting. "Lady…?" His eyes were back on the hibiscus-haired girl. "You're not… A princess by any chance, are you?"

Sakura's face turned red, and she was ready to deny his claims but Xander beat her to it.

"Of course," he crossed his arms. "Did she not tell you?"

"P-Prince Xander!" she exclaimed, before blushing at her sudden outburst. She didn't want the Nohrian prince to find out the truth just yet. It happened to her often—people would discover her status and immediately kiss up to her, or treat her differently than others, or pay more attention to her. And all the attention really wore out Sakura, who was too timid to even make eye contact for longer than five seconds.

Leo gasped, his cheeks blushing a rosy color. "P-Princess Sakura," he bursted out, "You have my deepest apologies for the rude manners in which I've been addressing you over the past few days."

"N-Not at all.. You haven't been rude at all—"

"But I have!" he interrupted. "I've spoken your name with a lack of honorifics. I'm truly sorry, milady. It shall not happen again."

Sakura shook her head dismissively. In truth, she much preferred it when he called her name in that casual tone he always used. But, of course, she couldn't bring herself to tell him that out loud. Especially not with Lord Xander in the room.

Leo settled back in his bed and stared at the girl in front of him.

"So then.. Are you a princess of this Ho-shee-den place we're in?"

Sakura does not meet his gaze. "Y-Yes."

Who would have thought. It came to Leo as more of a shock to discover what he had just been told, then what Sakura had told him of his own lineage not too long ago.

After that, Xander and Leo talked for a bit. He told him about his sisters, and how they are back in Nohr, managing royal duties for him while he traveled to Hoshido to see Leo. He apologized that he wasn't able to see him sooner, and also apologized for Leo having to go through this—and for things not making any sense yet.

The stars were visible in the night sky when Xander excused himself, and said he would visit again tomorrow. While they had chatted, Sakura had been sitting on her usual chair, while Xander himself sat on the edge of Leo's bed. She did not leave that same spot when Xander left, and had been amusing herself with a book about cherry blossoms. At least that's what he assumed it was about, based from the title he saw in bold letters.

"What are cherry blossoms?" Leo suddenly asked, and shivers ran down Sakura's spine. She had tensed up when the crown prince had left, knowing it meant that it was just her and Leo now.

She looked up from the book, still not looking at him in the eyes. "T-They are beautiful trees with these nice, pink pedals as leaves. They g-grow here in Hoshido."

Leo hums in acknowledgement before gazing down towards the basket she had brought him earlier. "Thank you.. for the gift.. by the way," he said softly, a newfound nerve rising within him. His heart was fluttering inside his chest and he couldn't figure out why.

"I-It's nothing," she waved it off, lowering the book. "Would you.. like one now?"

"Um.. Mhm.." he nodded, feeling his face growing hotter by the second. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. He watched everything. The way she carefully put down her book on the floor and stood. The way she made her way over to his side and turned the basket so that it faced her.

Sakura began to unwrap it with shaking hands. She could feel his eyes on her, and being watched so intently made her antsy. She picked up a green apple from the basket and turned to him.

He managed to thank her quietly when she had given him the fruit, but instead of taking a bite, he gazed intensely at her.

"Lady Sakura.." he began, "I've been, um.. meaning to tell you something."

He couldn't believe he was doing this.

"Y-Yes?" she waited to hear what he had to say anxiously.

Much to his surprise, he didn't hesitate when he said it.

"You're beautiful," he stated with a firm and straight face.

Sakura blinked repeatedly, wondering frantically if she had heard him correctly. As a princess of Hoshido, she has heard this compliment from plenty wanting to win her heart over, or wanting to please a member of the royal family.

But no one has ever told her this in the way Leo had. He wasn't trying to please her with empty flattery. And he certainly wasn't just saying so because of her noble status.

He was serious.

And she could tell in the way he looked at her, and the way his breath had a peaceful ring to it when the words came out. It made her heart beat faster, and her blood pump harder, and her face grow hotter. Although she was usually already at a loss for words more often times than not, she couldn't think of anything to say back to the prince—and even if she could—she didn't trust herself to speak with confidence. She was defenseless against him.

"I-I.. I.. Um.. I—U-Uh.." Her stutters had gotten worse, and the color of her face almost matched her hibiscus hair. Leo couldn't help but chuckle lightly. He was so happy just to see her. He was so happy she ended up visiting him today as well.

"That's okay, you don't have to say anything," he gave her the biggest smile, raising a hand to caress her cheek. "I just needed to speak my thoughts."

She opened and closed her mouth over and over, wanting to say something but she just couldn't form the words.

"It must be pretty late by now," he sighed, and Sakura felt his lingering touch disappear. "You usually leave at this time. For dinner, right? Go ahead. I'll be fine alone here for tonight. Pardon me for hogging your book, but I'd like to keep reading _Under the Moonlight_ for a while longer."

He didn't want her to go, but at the same time he was aware that she hasn't eaten since she came in with Xander, and that made him worry. There were also so many questions he still had for her.

 _Why do you keep visiting me so often?_

 _Did we know each other before?_

 _If so, what kind of relationship did we have?_

 _Did we get along?_

But he knew that now was not the time.

After Sakura had left that night, Leo grabbed the miniature book from the nightstand and ate some of the fruit from the basket. At the same time, he flipped through pages and pages of the collection of short stories and poems. His favorite fruit he ate that night were the tomatoes.

—

The next morning, Leo woke up to find a pouch he recognized sitting on the chair in front of him. It was Sakura's, he was sure. He heard voices coming from the other side of the door and immediately knew who the two people were.

"Lady Sakura!" he shouted, hoping they'd hear him. Shortly after, the doorknob turned and Xander and Sakura entered the room.

"Hey there, little Leo," Xander smiled at him. Although it was just recently when Leo found out about his family, he was happy to see his older brother, but even happier to see Sakura, who stood not too far behind Xander.

"Morning," Leo returned the smile. Sakura did not say anything, and he couldn't help but notice her flushed cheeks.

"Are you hungry? We asked the cooks to make your favorite," his brother informed him, and Leo's eyebrow rose.

"What's.. What's my favorite?"

"A kind of Nohrian soup," Xander came closer and put his hand on the younger prince's forehead. "You don't seem heated anymore—that's good."

Leo's lips curved into a smirk. "Yes. I've been feeling much better nowadays. Think they'd let me out soon? There's still so much I'm curious about."

"I understand, dear brother, but I am no healer."

The two princes turned simultaneously to look at the shy Hoshidan princess. Sakura met their gazes and she suddenly spoke.

"U-Um, I-I think th-they won't k-keep you h-here much l-longer, P-Prince L-Leo!" she bursted out, her hands shaking. Leo stared. She seemed even shyer than the first time they had spoken.

"I see," Xander nodded, oblivious to the princess's unusual behavior. "That's good news, right Leo?"

Leo couldn't take his eyes off of the hibiscus-haired girl.

"Right.."

Not much later, there was a knock on the door and the same maid he ran into before came into the room.

"Lord Xander! Lady Sakura! I have an urgent update about Lord Corrin!" she spoke quickly, stumbling over her words.

"What is it?" Xander's entire focus was on the pale-haired maid.

"W-We need to find an important herb that could help him recover. If we don't… w-well I don't even want to think about what would happen!" Tears filled the girl's eyes and Leo stared back and forth between his brother, Sakura, and the agitated maid.

 _Corrin…?_

Leo couldn't help but recognize the name.

"Gods.." Xander murmured.

"W-Where can we find the herb?!" Sakura seemed as jittery as the maid. They exchanged more words with a nervous tone to them, and Leo couldn't follow exactly what they were talking about.

"I'll go look for some in the forest," the maid said, "Let me know if any of you find any information about it while I'm gone."

"Thank you, Felicia," Xander forced a smile. "Will do."

When the maid left, Xander and Sakura stared at the floor in silence. Leo looked at them, waiting for them to do something, or _say_ something, but they didn't.

"W-Who's Corrin?" Leo spoke up, feeling the tension in the air rise.

Sakura's eyes were now on Xander, hopeful that he wouldn't answer the young prince's question just yet. _Not while he's still recovering,_ she thought.

But Xander answered him regardless. "Our brother," he said.

"Brother…?" Leo was confused, and he thought things would never get any clearer in his head.

 _Corrin… My brother?_

Ah yes. He remembered something Sakura told him the first day he had woken up—that he has two brothers. But if he remembered correctly, she told him that he had two _older_ brothers, and also according to her, he was the second prince of Nohr.

Well if he had two older brothers, wouldn't that make him the youngest, and wouldn't that mean he'd then be the _third_ prince of Nohr?

Leo's head was aching. He couldn't figure it out. He couldn't figure _anything_ out. And he didn't want to ask questions before because everyone seemed to be hiding something from him. And he didn't want to ask questions _now_ because everyone was still on edge.

 _Corrin…_

Nothing made sense. He had an immense craving for answers. He needed to know what was going on.

"I'm sorry, Leo," Xander said suddenly. "This is urgent, and I'm so happy to see you're getting better. But Corrin needs us right now, and I'll regret it later if I can't help find the herbs he needs. I need to go now, but I promise I'll visit soon."

Leo blinked, not quite getting it. He understood what Xander was saying—and why—but he didn't have all the pieces to the puzzle.

"M-M-Me too, Prince Leo," Sakura added. "I'd hate to leave you alone here but this is important to us."

Leo couldn't bring himself to speak. It felt as if his throat had gone dry. When the doors had closed and his brother and Sakura were no longer there, his thoughts enveloped him. He drowned in his reverie.

 _Corrin._

His eyes widened.

 _Corrin._

And he remembered.

 **—**

 **(A/N):**

Next (and most likely final) chapter will be uploaded sometime next week.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

Okay, so this story is spoiler free, but if you've played the Nohrian path, you'll see a huge reference to something that happens. You'll also get it if you've played Birthright (or any path, really) but what happens in this story does NOT happen in any of the paths, so there are no spoilers.

Enjoy!

* * *

The sun was setting, and leaves rustled from the forest trees as the skies turned a light shade of amber.

Prince Leo of Nohr was laying hidden on the grass, his head propped up against a rocky boulder. His hand was pressed firmly against his wound, the blood seeping from the side of his stomach as he grunted every so often, murmuring curses.

He was angry.

Angry that he let himself be ambushed by those Hoshidan soldiers. Angry that he was forced to hide from them, because he was so careless and let himself get injured. But most of all, he was angry at his brother. His traitorous, traitorous older brother, who had betrayed the country who raised him, along with the siblings that cared so much for him.

Corrin's ability to be able to give up all he ever knew and instead side with Nohr's sworn enemy was beyond Leo's comprehensive capability. He couldn't for the life of him figure out his brother's thought process, and although all he ever felt for Corrin had been nothing but brotherly love, he only wanted now to strangle the breath out of him.

His other siblings—Xander, Camilla and Elise—also shared Leo's rightful anger. But his sisters especially were overwhelmed with confusion, and instead demanded an explanation.

Leo, on the other hand, didn't need an explanation.

His brother was tearing his family apart, and not only failed to justify his actions, but also began all this talk about how he needed to kill their own father.

Gods, was Leo angry. He was seeping with rage to the point where he couldn't feel the constant pumps of pain that came from his bleeding wound.

He couldn't think of anything better to do other than to lay still and wait for the night to pass him by. As for his injuries, he decided to label that as tomorrow's problem, and focus only on making sure he was completely hidden and that no more Hoshidan soldiers were able to find him.

Night had almost dominated the sky when Leo heard rustling—footsteps not too far from his hiding spot. His eyes shot open.

What was he going to do? He was hardly in any condition to make a run for it, much less fight back.

But before he could consider his limited options and act upon them, it was already too late, and the unknown person behind the trees had already found him.

Their eyes met.

Leo's mouth slowly gaped open.

And that was the first time he met her.

"Y-You…!" Her hibiscus hair made perfect contrast with the greenery around them, and the girl froze, shocked to find Leo at such a place. "W-Why are you here?! What do you want?!"

It was not long before the girl in front of him had noticed the blood leaking down the prince's body.

Leo's mouth tilted, showing a bitter smile. "I'm hardly in any position be elsewhere, aren't I?" And a sudden realization hit him. She wasn't just any Hoshidan. "Wait.. You're Corrin's younger sister.."

It was impressive how quickly the girl's face turned red. She took two steps backwards and furiously shook her head, her eyes shut tightly.

"I-I'm not!"

"Don't try to hide it," Leo sighed. "You can admit it. It's not like I'm going to try anything." His eyes lowered to the wound on his stomach, and Sakura opened her eyes slowly.

"You're hurt…" she whispered, gradually making her way to his side. She leaned down until her knees were on the grass, and looked closely at the prince's blood-stained armor. "May I have a look at it?"

"No," Leo scoffed, attempting to sit up. Her presence was making him nervous, as he was well aware that she was his enemy. "Stay away."

"It's not like I'm going to try anything," she copied Leo's earlier words, and he glared at her, unimpressed.

"Are you _mocking_ me?" his tone was threatening, sending alarming shocks through the girl's body.

"N-N-No! I-I was j-just, um.. No.. I-I'm sorry..!"

Leo watched as her hands shook on her lap, her face flushed from embarrassment. He began to feel guilty, knowing that he may have insulted her. But in his defense, he wasn't aware that she was so timid, and over-interpreted every little word.

"No.." he lowered his head, "That's.. okay."

He couldn't believe he was letting a Hoshidan off the hook. But all he knew is that this girl's relation to Corrin meant that she's a princess, and that she could have called the soldiers from earlier at any point. He was just glad she hadn't done so.

The girl sighed, averting her eyes to the grass as she grabbed the small staff beside her.

"L-Listen… I'm going to treat your wound now.." she tightened her grip. "I-Is that okay?"

"H-Huh?!" Leo looked at her in disbelief. "What.. Why? I'm your enemy.."

She shook her head. "No.. Corrin made it clear that our target is King Garon.. Not the people who were so kind as to call him their brother and take care of him… Corrin doesn't wish to fight you."

"Cut the crap," Leo narrowed his eyes. "You Hoshidans are the only ones who think that way. My brother and I clearly view you all as enemies—and for the sake of your survival, you better start thinking the same."

"What we think is.. Hoshido and Nohr could become great allies. If only you and your siblings could join our cause—"

"To _kill_ our own father?!" Leo began a laugh but the pain from his wound prevented him from doing so. "You people must be insane."

"Maybe.." the girl smiled at him. "But whatever your beliefs are, I'm going to treat you. I'm a healer—my job is to heal and make sure I prevent as many deaths as I can as long as I can help it. I'm not going to let you die here. I'm sure Corrin wouldn't want you dead."

Leo sighed, leaning his head backwards against the boulder. "You fool.." he whispered. "Aren't you the least bit scared that I may try to kill you after you heal me?"

Sakura raised her staff, adjusting her grip. "You said you wouldn't try anything. And I believe you'll keep your word."

"That's…" he stopped, looking up at the hibiscus-haired girl. "I only said that because I'm wounded. Doesn't mean I won't try anything when I'm healed."

"Well then that's too bad," she said. "But I'm a healer, and my duties to keep others in health is my only belief. If I die doing so, then so be it."

Leo couldn't believe what he was hearing. What a selfless act she was doing. Though the two had Corrin as their brother, they had never spoken a word to each other before. He didn't trust her one bit… so why did she have so much faith in him? She should really be more careful around strangers.

The girl's staff lit up and soft light illuminated the air around them. As the seconds passed, Leo could feel his pain slowly begin to fade. More and more… until it was completely gone.

He looked down at his stomach and, although his armor was stained still, his wound had been perfectly healed. He slowly looked up at the girl.

"T-Thank you.." his voice was quiet, low and reserved, and he felt his cheeks heat up as a big smile formed on the girl's face. His words seemed to make her happier than he had thought, and the look on her face took him by surprise. She looked… cute. Very, very cute. There was something about her face contorted in an innocent smile that he grew fond of very quickly, and for a second he thought he had never seen anything more adorable in his life.

"You're welcome," she said. "Your name is.. Leo, right?" He slowly nodded, still mesmerized by her features. "I'm Sakura."

 _Sakura…_ The name would forever be embedded into his brain.

"Sakura.." he said, bringing his leg closer to him. "I've decided… I'm not going to try to kill you." He slowly stood up, and began brushing remnants of grass off his armor. "I-I… I owe you my life, after all."

Him.. Owing his life to a Hoshidan? _What was he saying?_

Sakura followed his action and stood up as well.

"Maybe if things were different…" he trailed off, his lips parting slightly. He examined her eyes as she gazed back at him intently, confused at what it was that he was trying to say.

 _If things were different.. what?_

They could have become friends? They could have gotten to know each other better? They could have gone out, into the Nohrian markets, and tried different food together?

 _What was he saying?_

"Never mind," he brushed it off, walking over to the bushes and leaning down to grab his Brynhildr, on the spot where he had dropped it earlier. His eyes found their way back to look at her, and he took a good look at how she looked under the low lighting. The way her hair was brushed softly by the wind, and the look she had on her face as she gazed back at him.

 _If things were different, indeed._

"Well.." he said. "Goodbye then."

Sakura nodded, not knowing what to say. She raised a hand up and waved, wanting to say one last comment that could possibly change his mind about his views on Hoshido. But she knew it was useless, and that he probably wouldn't listen to her and instead dismiss what she has to say as if her persuasive words meant nothing.

"B-Bye," she choked out, her words lost in the wind as he walked away from her. And she knew that next time they meet, they'd once again be enemies on the battlefield.

* * *

He felt it.

He could feel himself losing power—losing control of his own body. He knew he was no longer himself, but that wasn't his fault. It wasn't his fault he was taken over. It wasn't his fault he was being possessed by a greater power—the power of all his heavy angers and regrets. It was as if a parasite was invading, taking care of the job he wasn't sure he could do on his own. But that wasn't truly what he wanted. Sure, he was angry. But he didn't mean it when he said he wanted to kill his own brother. True, they weren't related by blood, but he was his brother nonetheless.

His brother wanted to kill their father. But he couldn't help not really wanting to kill his brother.

All he did was feel betrayed. But he didn't want to _kill_ anyone.

Even so, his hands were pressed tightly around his brother's throat, the Brynhildr on his palm.

"L-Leo.." Corrin coughed, tears flooded his eyes as his blood-red irises gazed at the younger brother he loved and grew up with. "Haha.. It's o-okay… t-to hate me."

He had managed a chuckle, and Leo couldn't understand why he was smiling so genuinely at a time like this.

 _No.. I don't hate you._

"I-It's really.. okay.." Corrin's hands were on Leo's arm. "I understand, so.. So it's okay to kill me."

 _I don't want to kill you._

"I know I betrayed Nohr, so.. I understand your hatred. B-But, hey.. I'm not going to fight you, Leo. You have every right to.. to feel the way you do."

 _I don't want to fight you, either._

"But Leo.. All this time.. I really did love you like a brother."

Those were his last words before the Brynhildr had enveloped Corrin in its magical trap. His Hoshidan siblings screamed for their brother, but Corrin didn't stop smiling, even when his unconscious body plummeted to the floor beneath them.

Deep within himself, Leo cried tears of sorrow. His body had done a terrible thing, and there was nothing he could do about it. With every might he could muster, he tried to take back his control, raising the Brynhildr and using it to attack himself.

 _How dare.. you hurt my brother.._

With continuous magic blows to his chest, Leo felt his consciousness fading.

And those were the memories he had lost, before he found himself in a medical bed, staring at the hibiscus-haired who saved his life, and whom he longed to speak to again.

"Corrin.." he tugged at the ends of his hair. _"Corrin!"_

 _It's my fault!_

 _Corrin must have been recovering in a medical room like I was_ , Leo thought. _It's my fault he's here. It's my fault we're both here!_

"AAGH!" Leo shouted at the top of his lungs, flinging his pillow until it hit the wall beside the night sky visible through the window.

"I'm so sorry, Corrin! It wasn't me.. It wasn't me who hurt you!"

He wept and wept, throwing fists at the mattress and hitting his head against the bed.

His heart was racing. There hasn't been a thing in his life that he regretted more than that faithful day, when he thought he had killed his own brother.

That must've been it. Leo wondered why he was still the second prince of Nohr—because Corrin had sided with Hoshido, leaving his Nohrian prince title behind.

 _It's only_

 _under the moonlight when_

 _I feel safest. If only_

 _you were here_

 _to keep me from breaking,_

 _when the moonlight_

 _is gone at night._

He didn't know how long he had been shouting his regrets and punching things around him, before the door opened and Sakura found him in his despair. Upon seeing the tears that stained his cheeks, Sakura quickly rushed to the prince's side, a look of concern on her face.

"P-Prince Leo.." she spoke softly. "What happened? Why are you crying?"

Leo had settled down after feeling Sakura's warm hands touching the side of his face. He closed his eyes and felt her wipe his tears away.

"S-Sakura.." he whispered. He didn't know if he couldn't fret over his lack of formality for the Hoshidan princess because he felt so much misery, or because he knew he had never referred to her so formally in the past. "I-It's all my fault.. Corrin i-is in trouble, isn't he?"

Sakura stared at him, and her heart felt heavy inside her chest.

"Y-You remember?"

Leo nodded, his eyes averted from her gaze. Sakura lowered her hand to his shoulder. "Oh."

She wrapped her arms around him carefully, leaning close to him and hugging him tightly. She wasn't sure what to say to him, but she did know that she wanted to comfort him in every way she could.

Leo was surprised to feel the Hoshidan princess's body pressed so tightly against his own. Her scent instantly filled his nose, and his ears grew hot.

"It's okay.." Sakura whispered. "He'll be okay. I came because I wanted to tell you I found the herbs he needed at the market in a nearby town."

Leo's eyes widened. "You.. You did?"

"Yes," her voice was quiet. "He'll be alright. I'm sure of it."

Leo mindlessly wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. He let himself relax as his chin rested on her shoulder, and a smile found its way onto his lips.

"That's.. great to hear," he whispered. And he realized then that he truly did feel happy to embrace Sakura like that. For that moment, he felt pure bliss and hope.

Hope, that everything would be okay.

"Thank you.. Sakura." Leo closed his eyes, raising his hand to her hair as he ran his fingers through them. "Thank you for finding me that day." Sakura blushed, her eyes widening as she realized he really did remember. He remembered everything. "And thank you for finding what Corrin needs to recover."

* * *

Nothing broke Leo's heart more than the day he visited Corrin in his recovery room. It turns out, his older brother was getting treated just down the hall from where he was, but since he could barely walk before, he didn't have a chance to see how he was doing.

Corrin's skin was paler than he'd ever seen before. His lips were shut tight, and his eyes were closed peacefully. A breathing mask was attached to his face, and he was shirtless, with patches attached all over his chest.

Sakura was beside him, and if Leo wasn't so worried about Corrin he would've blushed at the fact that she was holding his hand. For the past few days, Sakura had been taking short walks outside with Leo, since he made a huge improvement in recovery, and the healers recommended that he took walks often to get his leg muscles working again.

Even so, Leo hated that he felt so much better than the day he first woke up in his recovery room, whereas Corrin had not opened his eyes once at all. He couldn't believe he had hurt him so badly, even though it wasn't him that was in control.

"We've b-been giving him the herbs every day so far," Sakura spoke up, squeezing his hand. "It's not working as well as I was hoping it would."

"But.. It's still working, right?" Leo had a hopeful look in his eye.

"Y-Yes, of course," she glanced at him. "You don't have to worry _that_ much."

"Well I can't help it," Leo forced a chuckle. He then took a long look at his brother, and placed a hand on his pale hair. Before he left the room that day, he didn't forget to leave flowers near the door.

A few days later, Leo waited for Sakura in his recovery room for their daily walk. When she showed up, they took a short stroll outside before Sakura stopped suddenly.

"Close your eyes," she said.

Leo blinked at her. "Huh?"

"Close your eyes, and don't open them until I say it's okay."

He came to terms with that fact that it was futile to ask any questions at this point, and Leo did what he was told. He felt Sakura take his hands, and there were butterflies in his stomach as she led the way. Leo didn't know how long they were walking before Sakura told him he could open his eyes.

But nevertheless, the sight took his breath away.

"They're cherry blossoms," she explained, a big smile planted on her lips.

Pink pedals were scattered in the air surrounding them, and they stood in the middle of a sea of cherry trees, shedding their leaves across the passing wind. Leo couldn't help but stare. He had never seen anything like it. The old, dried up leaves that fell upon Nohrian grounds were nothing compared to what he saw in front of him.

"Wow.." he said under his breath. Sakura hadn't let go of his hand, and he held hers back tighter. "It's beautiful.."

The two royals kept walking, hand in hand, enjoying the cherry blossoms and talking about the ending stories of _Under the Moonlight_. Leo had finished the miniature book recently. The copy he had borrowed from Sakura had a lot of sentimental meaning to her, and although he tried returning it to her, she refused, and said it was his to keep.

"We should probably head back," Sakura stopped after a while. She wore a big smile, remnant of when she laughed at a joke Leo had made earlier.

"Yes, we probably should," Leo smiled back at her. Sakura began to walk forward again but got held back by Leo's hand.

She turned to look at him. "What's wrong?"

He admired every aspect of her face as he raised a hand, caressing her cheek. "You know.. I just realized something."

Sakura stared wide-eyed at him, waiting for him to continue.

"You don't stutter much around me these days," he said in a low voice. "Wonder why that is."

Without another word, he leaned forward, and pressed his soft lips against hers. He felt a rush of satisfaction, when he found that her taste was even better than he had imagined it, and his tongue brushed against her bottom lip. He kissed her softly, and held her just a while longer, before he slowly pulled away and watched as she looked back at him with heated cheeks.

"W-W-What was t-that for?" she asked, her voice quiet.

 _Spoke too soon,_ Leo thought, and he let out a hearty laugh. "You're adorable."

If Leo thought her face couldn't get any redder, he sure thought wrong.

"U-U-Um.."

"Hmm," Leo hummed. "What was that for, you ask? I wonder.." He pulled his body away from her and held her hand once more. "I guess it's because I love you."

Leo thought for sure that was as red as faces could get. But once again, he was wrong.

When the Nohrian prince and the Hoshidan princess finally made their way back to the recovery fort, Leo sat on an outside bench near the hallway his room was in, and watched a fountain spit out water over a stone statue. Sakura had left to the markets to buy more herbs for Corrin, and he thought he'd ask her for more Hoshidan books when she got back.

He was so deep in thought about the hibiscus-haired girl that he barely noticed someone calling out to him.

"Leo!"

He turned his head around to look at the person in crutches who stood just a few feet away from him.

"I'm happy to see how well you're doing now," Corrin grinned, his smile as compassionate and comforting as Leo always remembered it was.

His eyes widened, and he couldn't help the smile that formed on his face.

"Corrin..!"


End file.
